Does Your Diet Measure Up?

If the steak on your plate looks like the size of a deck of cards or your pasta serving could fill a tennis ball, you’re on the ball when it comes to portion sizing. Yet for all the years I have been in practice, what continues to amaze me, is how often people underestimate their intakes. Through the use of associations and rubber food models as teaching tools, I’ve been able to illustrate the vast difference between the amount we think we’re eating vs how much food actually crosses our lips.

Although I don’t make guarantees, promises, or bets, let’s just say that if you’re attempting to manage your weight, before picking another fad diet book, if you tried doing the simple exercise below…there’s a very good chance that you’ll downsize your plate and your pants.

1. Weigh yourself before and after you embark upon this self-study. If possible, chart your weight on graph paper.
2. Buy an inexpensive food scale, a set of measuring cups, and measuring spoons.
3. Have a pad and pen handy or designate some space on your computer or smartphone or download an app like MyFitnessPal, SparkPeople, or Supertracker to record everything (seriously, every morsel) of food you eat.
4. When you eat a meal, assemble it with portions that you would normally take, and then weigh and measure each item that’s on your plate. In other words, put the cooked pasta in a measuring cup, weigh the meat on the food scale, pour the salad dressing with a measuring spoon before you drizzle it over your salad, and so on.
5. If you drink alcohol, soda, or any beverage that contains calories, take note of how much you swallow.
6. Repeat #2 and #3 for one full week. (Yes, that means a weekend, too.)

Most importantly, have a conversation with yourself and ask the following questions: Could I get by with a little less food? Is my stomach feeling full even when there’s still food left on my plate? Can I cut a bite or two off of everything without really missing those extras? If the answers to any or all of these questions are a resounding, “yes,” then it’s time that you act like a barber and start shaving to clean up your portion distortion.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bonnie Taub-Dix, RDN

Bonnie is Director and Owner of BTD Nutrition Consultants, LLC, with offices on Long Island and in New York City where she has been counseling individuals, including many celebrities and dignitaries, as well as...read more

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